


blueprints Drawn from Darkness

by SansRene_KantGaster



Series: The Unified Theory Papers [4]
Category: The Good Place, Undertale, celebrities and real people
Genre: Alternate Universe, Speculative, Spinoff, Visiontale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23197921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansRene_KantGaster/pseuds/SansRene_KantGaster
Summary: Beware of formatting weirdness.Spoilers for season 3 of The Good Place, and for Visiontale. Essentially, as long as you've read past chapter 41 (ideally, chapter 43), you should be fine.
Series: The Unified Theory Papers [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1176101
Kudos: 2





	blueprints Drawn from Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Preface:  
> The following abbreviations will be used for people's names.
> 
> KB: Kristen Bell (Eleanor)  
> WJH: William Jackson Harper (Chidi!)  
> TD: Ted Danson (Michael)  
> DC: D'Arcy Carden (Janet)  
> MJ: Manny Jacinto (Jason)
> 
> I wrote this story using a format inspired by film scripts. As for why, that is explained in the endnotes. Bolded text is dialogue, and non-bold text is characters' actions.

KB claps twice.

**KB  
_OKAY_ everyone--I think I'm _OFFICIALLY_ tired of hearing myself talk.**

The Soul Squad and the audience laugh.

**KB (continues)  
So we're gonna hand it over to _YOU!_ now!**

Some audience members cheer.

**KB (continues)  
We'll hand the mic down the line--**

**TD  
And _PLEASE_ , by Tesla, keep your questions short. Start your questions with "why", and "how"--we don't need the backstory.**

As TD talks, WJH glances periodically at his phone, lying face-down on the table in front of him. As TD finishes speaking, he clears his throat.

**WJH (to the Soul Squad)  
Hey--I think our call's happening soon. So if you--**

He looks toward the audience briefly.

**WJH (continues)  
\--guys had any questions for me you'll have to wait.**

His fellow panel members each glance at the phone in his hand, when they think he's not looking. He walks off-stage and down the nearest isle.

**WJH (over his shoulder, halfway down the isle)  
I'll be--**

The phone rings. The Soul Squad freezes in place. The room falls silent. Some audience members cock their heads, listening to the ringtone. To their confusion and or horror, they recognize it: a repetitive, slightly grainy piano melody.

WJH slowly walks toward the exit doors, raising the phone to his ear. Before he can say anything, the person on the other end speaks.

**TOBY FOX (softly)  
Are you... there?**

WJH jerks violently, the phone falling from his hand, face-down. Some people gasp or rush to help. Before it can hit the floor, it begins to glow brightly purple. It flips over and rises, until it hovers at WJH's shoulder, facing him. He is in a video call now.

Some audience members nearby crane their necks to look at the phone. Others whisper faintly.

**TF (over speaker phone)  
I'm sorry. I didn't mean--**

WJH hesitates before shrugging, pausing some more before responding.

**WJH  
I should've asked if _YOU_ were okay! You look... _REALLY!_ tired.**

TF laughs.

**TF  
No. Not tired. Just...**

As he thinks, his eyes begin to faintly glow, cycling between orange, dark blue, and purple. When he speaks again, they settle on dark blue. TF gestures toward the camera

**TF  
_GOOD_. You set everything up, as we discussed.**

**WJH (shaking)  
Y-y-y-yeah. _OF C-C-C-COURSE_ we d-d-d-did!**

The audience whispers louder. Some of them shift in their seats.

**TF (to the camera)  
They can see and hear our call.**

WJH nods, pointing to a projector and set of speakers behind the Soul Squad.

**DC  
But how'd you know to call right now? We've been busy the--**

TF stands up straight, to his full height. On his end of the video call, his phone floats out of his hand, glowing purple. It rotates around until the camera faces another audience. With his hands now free, he raises them up to shoulder height, palms facing outward. When he next speaks, he speaks in a voice softer, deeper, and firmer than his own, with a careful cadence.

**DR. WINGDINGS TESLA-DA VINCI GASTER (firmly)  
MR. FOX REQUIRED _MY_ ASSISTANCE TO COMPLETE THE TASK WE HAD DISCUSSED.**

Everyone gasps or shudders in unison. While and after Gaster speaks, metal and pastic thread pours from Toby's pockets, and the chains snaking around his arms and hanging off of his clothes detach, fusing and or weaving together around him. The entire time, the materials glow bright orange when heated, and bright purple otherwise.

When finished, a lab coat covers Toby's t-shirt and shorts, reaching to below his waist. He wears a helmet with a plastic face guard. An eye pendant hangs around his neck.

WJH walks back onto the stage as if weighed down by a great burden. He stands beside his fellow cast and crew members. He raises his hands to shoulder height, palms facing outward, the other members of the Soul Squad doing the same. They hold this position for several seconds.

**dC  
We're sorry to have kept you waiting, dr. Gaster.**

Toby shrugs.

**GASTER  
YOUR APOLOGIES ARE ENTIRELY UNWARRANTED. UPON RETROSPECTION I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT INITIALIZING CONTACT AT THIS CURRENT MOMENT WOULD PROVE...**

Toby's eyes stop glowing dark blue. He looks down.

**GASTER (continues)  
\--OVERWHELMING AND TRAUMATIZING FOR YOUR FANS.**

Some people sitting in the front lean in closer, about to speak, but they do not. Gradually, people spread throughout the crowd nod slowly. Others sit completely still, staring straight ahead, or shake with varying degrees of intensity.

**WJH  
So you really want us to come now.**

Toby nods, his phone following suit.

**GASTER  
AFFIRMATIVE. I HAVE ARRANGED YOUR TRANSPORTATION TO Camp Fangamer 2018, WHOSE PROCEEDINGS ARE CURRENTLY OCCURRING IN TUSCON, ARIZONA. SIMPLY RETURN TO YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS AND PACK YOUR BELONGINGS. CONGREGATE AT THE NEAREST AIRPORT. I WILL ASSIST MY COLLEAGUES IN LOCATING YOU. I ASSURE YOU, THAT I WILL DO ALL IN MY POWER TO GUARANTEE YOUR ARRIVAL in precisely three hours time.**

The Soul Squad nods in unison.

**GASTER  
I AM REFERRING TO _YOU_ , AND the ENTIRETY OF YOUR AUDIENCE.**

Fans gasp or stare at the screen, searching Toby's now-purple and dark blue eyes for any sign of deceit.

**MJ  
See you soon, man--**

Toby cuts him off.

**GASTER  
NOT A MAN--**

Some people laugh.

**MJ  
I'm not talking to _YOU!_ \-- I mean _TOBY_. You needed a break _YESTERDAY_! Have you even slept since E3!?**

Toby laughs. His voice and Gaster's voice overlap each other.

**TF  
_OF COURSE_. When _ELSE_ do you think Gaster gets all my work done for me?**

The members of the Soul Squad take each other's hands.

**TD  
See you--**

He shakes his head.

**TD  
No. We'll _PERCEIVE_ you soon, Dr. Gaster.**

WJH's phone lowers into his outstretched hand. The video call ends. The projector and speakers deactivate, unplug, and put themselves away, their components glowing bright purple. The group walks off the stage and out the exit doors together. Slowly, at first, but more confidently with every step, every fan at the panel follows.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the story using this format because i didn't feel confident writing from any of the Good Place cast members' points of view. I didn't write the story as a newspaper article or interview either because they seemed too impersonal, or too intimate, respectively.
> 
> I based this story off of the proceedings of the The Good Place cast's fan panel at San Diego Comic Con 2019. I will update it as I read and watch more material about each of them, so i can make the story reflect everyone's personalities and reactions better.
> 
> I was tempted to call the cast members by their characters' names, because I don't know them well enough to call them by their first names, and calling them by their last names seemed too formal. That's why I settled on using their initials instead.
> 
> As for why Gaster called Mr. Harper specifically, and any other nagging feelings of weirdness you might have had while reading the fic?
> 
> Those questions will be answered...
> 
> Eventually.


End file.
